In adults over 35 years, infertility is defined as failure to conceive after how long of regular unprotected intercourse?

• A. 12 months
• B. 18 months
• C. 24 months
• D. 6 months

Answer: (D)

Fertility thresholds change with age because reproductive potential declines as people get older. In adults over 35, it’s considered infertility if there’s no pregnancy after 6 months of regular unprotected intercourse. This shorter window reflects how quickly fertility can wane at this age, making timely evaluation important to identify treatable issues and optimize chances of conception. By contrast, in younger adults the typical definition uses 12 months of trying before labeling infertility, since many couples conceive naturally within that period. The longer timeframes (18 or 24 months) aren’t used as the standard definition for infertility in this age group.